This Thing Called Grief
by Thomas M. Ellis
Published by Syren Book Company
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Reviewed by Diane Keyes
Subtitled: New Understandings of Loss
Striking a tone that is neither clinical nor maudlin, author Tom Ellis does a good job of explaining grief in his book, This Thing Called Grief. With factual information about the grieving process, poetry and some personal examples of individuals and families taking this journey, Ellis draws the reader in without bringing them down.
As a grief counselor myself, I know that when people are deep in the grieving process they are highly sensitive. Using this awareness Ellis has fashioned a book that sketches individual profiles without resorting to graphic descriptions that might be painful to readers.
With one of the main components of grief being an inability to concentrate for extended periods, Ellis has also shown his sensitivity to readers by writing a book less than one hundred pages long. The author gives enough information to be helpful without giving so much that it feels either overwhelming or discouraging. While the book in itself is short, Ellis has compiled an amazingly comprehensive list of resources for the reader that includes many books not only addressing grief and loss, but trauma and miscarriage, as well as books for children dealing with these same issues.
However, two factors set this book apart. The first is that while many books see grief as a burdensome part of life meant to be endured, This Thing Called Grief paints a portrait of grief that includes coming out on the other side of grief and being transformed and healed by the process. Although hope is in scarce supply during periods of grief, Ellis presents this view so gently it's bound to be gratefully received by many readers.
The second factor is that this book gives the reader permission to feel what they feel no matter what loss they are suffering. In our American culture, where you bury your father on Tuesday and are expected to be back at work and over it on Wednesday, this message is good news indeed.
Armchair Interviews says: A good book to give to someone grieving, even if you just gift yourself.